Of Milo ais and professionalism

Island retreat: The Asean logo welcoming the grouping’s foreign ministers arriving over the weekend for the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat at the Langkawi International Convention Centre. – AFP

NASI lemak and roti canai are famous enough nowadays that many foreign tourists visiting Malaysia will make a point of trying them. Two British models and content creators visiting Langkawi recently did just that.

Calum Harper has a TikTok account with 2.6 million followers, while his best friend, Kit Price, has one with 1.1 million followers. Harper recently travelled to Langkawi to meet Price, coming all the way from New York City (36 hours!). Earlier this week, Price uploaded a video he made of taking Harper to a stall in Langkawi for his first traditional Malaysian food.

What generated more interest than usual among locals is that Price speaks in Bahasa Malaysia in the video – it seems he had grown up in Malaysia – and comfortably orders roti canai and Milo ais from the abang at the stall like a local. It is quite amusing to see Harper dipping his roti in the dhal gravy and then announcing he doesn’t like “curry”. His reaction to his first sip of Milo ais is priceless – he calls it “crack” because he likes it so much. The video hit three million views within days.

But good food is not all that you can find on Langkawi, at least this weekend. A group of serious looking people began arriving on the resort island, dressed not in typical holiday wear but in smart casual outfits. And they have not ventured out for “outrageously” (in Harper’s words) cheap breakfasts. Time is not on their side.

These are the serious folk participating in the Asean foreign ministers’ retreat, the first meeting kicking off Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship this year.

On the table will be discussions charting Asean’s priorities and work for the rest of the year, including refining the Asean Community Vision 2045.

Down south in Johor, a bigger – and perhaps livelier – event is taking place involving Asean member states, observer country Timor Leste, and dialogue partners China, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. This is the Asean Tourism Forum 2025 (ATF), running from Jan 15 to 20.

One of the highlights of the ATF is the Asean Travel Exchange which brings together more than 200 sellers showcasing the best of Asean tourism, and 300 buyers from 42 countries.

In Langkawi, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan started officially welcoming his counterparts from Asean today. Barely one year into the job, Malaysia’s top diplomat has had his diary full from the get go, including travelling the globe with the Prime Minister.

This week will be Mohamad’s first international challenge in his own backyard as he hosts a dinner and chairs the meeting of the grouping’s foreign ministers.

He has been very hands on with preparation work for the retreat. Those who work closely with Tok Mat, as he is called, described him as straight forward.

“He makes things easier, and his suggestions are pragmatic,” said an official.

As chair at the retreat, he has to steer the meeting towards the issues that Asean should be concerned about.

“The retreat is a good time for them to enjoy dinner and the view from the hotel. It is a sit down dinner where they will casually talk to each other.

“They can talk about anything under the sun. A lot of things can be thrashed out on the sidelines, though nothing very sensitive,” said an official.

The ministers and senior Asean officials will get a taste of Malaysian food at the dinner. Bernama reported dishes like Kerabu Bronok and Latok will be served to more than 200 delegates. Kerabu Bronok is a unique Langkawi dish made with sea cucumber. Latok is a type of seaweed typically enjoyed as a salad or side dish. Maybe the dignitaries will even get to enjoy Milo ais, like Harper did.

What we, the public, will see coming out from the Langkawi retreat will be photos and news bites of ministers and officials during and after their meetings – that’s the end product that we will see. What we won’t see are the efforts of civil servants, security personnel, and other parties involved who spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours behind the scenes planning everything down to the last detail to ensure the two-day meeting goes off without a hitch. Food is just one small aspect of the work involved, there is also security, transportation, and accommodation. Everything must be in tip top condition.

Mohamad has expressed concern several times about logistics preparedness, and quite rightly so. It is a massive job to get delegates all together on an island that not many countries have direct access or flights to.

“He has reminded us that if logistics is a problem, people will remember,” said an official.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar was also in Langkawi. He was specially appointed by the Prime Minister to ensure Malaysia’s preparations are at the highest level. On Friday night he joined a senior Asean officials dinner hosted by Wisma Putra’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Zin.

It is a good thing that the No.1 civil servant is involved in the preparations so he can have a first-hand look at the job involved in making the Asean chairmanship a success.

It will take many ministries and agencies working together, as well as Shamsul Azri’s leadership and quick decision making to ensure everything runs smoothly. Surely he can see that hosting Asean meetings, which will continue until October, needs a sufficient number of personnel to be deployed to ease the task for all parties.

That said, another area which is important is the media.

Officials must also understand the role of journalists and photographers covering Asean meetings. Apart from giving updates on what transpired behind closed doors, it is only right to allow the media to take photos when the meeting starts. Some of the delegates not so accustomed to the limelight surely will enjoy the attention of dozens of photographers clicking away as they begin doing important work in the interest of the regional grouping.

Professional media members – especially in this part of the world – are courteous and respectful of boundaries. We will not intrude on meetings and will strictly adhere to coverage guidelines issued by officials.

We are not asking for the sky, special treatment, or even assorted delicacies! What is undoubtedly necessary for the media, and as espoused by the ministry for example, is professionalism. There is no reason for any party to thumb their noses at the media. Relations do not have to be cordial, but they must at least be professional.

See you in Kuala Lumpur for the Asean summit in May!